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Advances in Nickel‐Based Catalysts for Alkaline Water Electrolysis: Comprehensive Review of Current Research Direction for HER and OER Applications
No full textNickel-based catalysts are among the most promising materials for electrocatalytic water splitting, particularly for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. Their abundance, cost-effectiveness, and tunable electrochemical properties make them attractive alternatives to precious metal catalysts. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the advancements in nickel-based catalysts, including pure nickel, alloys, oxides, hydroxides, and spinels, emphasizing their synthesis methods, structural properties, and electrocatalytic performance. Recent nanostructuring, doping, and hybridization innovations with conductive supports have significantly enhanced catalytic activity, stability, and efficiency. Despite notable progress, challenges remain in improving long-term durability, minimizing surface degradation, and scaling up production for industrial applications. Addressing these limitations through advanced catalyst design, in situ characterization, and integration with renewable energy sources will be crucial for widely adopting nickel-based catalysts in sustainable hydrogen production. This review highlights the key developments and future directions in the field, underscoring the role of nickel-based materials in enabling the hydrogen economy and global decarbonization efforts
Morphological changes and cell viability of GL261 and SMA-560 mouse glioma cells affected by direct infrared light illumination
No full textGlioma is a type of primary, malignant brain tumor [1]. This is a highly lethal tumor, which can cause headaches, vomiting, vision and memory loss, seizures, speech difficulties and complex visual hallucinations. Prevailing glioma treatment options include chemotherapy, surgical removal, and radiation therapy, which can cause severe side effects. On the other hand, light-based therapies, such as direct light therapy [2], photothermal [3], and photodynamic therapy [4], are minimally invasive, non-cumulative, and non-toxic treatment modalities, offering an effective and less damaging alternative to more invasive anti-cancer treatments. We have experimentally examined the in vitro photokilling potential of continuous-wave infrared laser light on murine GL261 and SMA-560 glioma cancer cells. Cell viability was measured as a function of laser beam intensity and compared to a control, which was kept in the dark for 30 minutes. The laser wavelength was centered at 831 nm, and the beam diameter was approximately 6 mm. Glioma cells in each microtiter well were illuminated for 10 minutes at room temperature, ≈ 20˚C, with a total dose of ≈492 J/cm² and ≈ 313 J/cm2 for SMA 560 and GL261 cells, respectively. The SRB assay, which measures the absorbance of sulforhodamine B dye at 550 nm, was performed 48 h after the treatment. The obtained results showed that the minimal achieved viability was slightly below 60% for the SMA-560, whereas for the GL261 cell line, this value was ≈ 69%. Monitoring the morphological changes in illuminated cells is often used to elucidate the influence of light on cancer cells [5]. In GL261 cells, after illumination, a large number of round cells grouped in clusters can be observed. In SMA-560, after the light treatment, there is a significant decrease in the number of living cells, accompanied by a change in shape: cells lose their characteristic elongated profile and become round and shrunken. These morphological changes are typically observed in dying cells and suggest a cytotoxic effect of the light on the glioma cell lines. These results demonstrate the effect that direct light therapy has on glioma cells and emphasize the potential of this approach in combating cancer.X International School and Conference on Photonics : PHOTONICA2023 : book of abstracts; 25 - 29 August 2025 Belgrade, Serbia
22NRM07 GuideRadPROS: A survey on calibration of radiation protection dosimeters in photon reference fields – current practices and standardization and training needs
No full textRegular calibration of radiation protection dosimeters is of great importance to ensure accurate measurements and the adequate protection of workers and the public. Calibrations are required by the European Legislation (EURATOM directive) and by many individual countries, both in Europe and in other regions. Some countries have additional requirements, such as verification, testing or type testing of dosimeters. All these requirements improve the confidence in measurements and improve overall radiation protection. Photon dosimeters are typically calibrated and tested in reference radiation fields, which are realized in Primary and Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratories according to the standard ISO 4037. The standard was updated in 2019, but early adopters reported problems with its implementation and missing data. Especially smaller laboratories needed additional training. This was one of the main reasons to establish a project within European Partnership on Metrology, with the name 22NRM07 GuideRadPROS “Harmonisation, update and implementation of standards related to radiation protection dosimeters for photon radiation”. A survey was organized in the project, and 40 replies were received, with 34 answers from 27 European countries. Considering the small number of calibration laboratories and considering that some countries do not have any calibration laboratories, the coverage of Europe was excellent. The survey showed that only half of the respondents completely implemented the new version of ISO 4037. Setting up gamma reference fields is clear to most respondents, but around half of the respondents have problems (unclear requirements, missing information, difficult to implement) with X-ray reference fields, half-value layer measurements and measurement uncertainty. Only a few respondents stated that X-ray tube voltage, spectrometry and Am-241 fields are adequately covered in the standard. A significant number of laboratories expressed training needs in high voltage measurements (27 respondents), spectrometry (24), setting X-ray reference fields (18), measurement uncertainty (18) and other topics. Survey inputs are used by 22NRM07 GuideRadPROS project to develop training courses and e-training materials, and to collate future research needs. The project will generate guidelines on spectrometry and will investigate conversion coefficients and associated uncertainties allowing for a future edition of the ISO 4037 standard.International conference on radiation applications in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medical Sciences, Engineering and Environmental Sciences : May 26-30, Crete, Greece
22NRM07 GuideRadPROS: Radiation protection dosimeter performance assessment – Aggregated calibration data in the Cs-137 reference radiation field
No full textOne of the goals of the GuideRadPROS joint research project (JRP) is the harmonization and update of international standards for type testing of radiation protection dosimeters. This is to be achieved through analysis of the test methods and criteria of evaluation of dosimeters defined in different standards, and through analysis of the performance of radiation protection dosimeters used in different European countries. Within one of the activities under the WP3 of this JRP, most commonly used active radiation protection dosimeters used for area monitoring in the workplace and for individual monitoring of occupationally exposed workers have been identified. Aggregated calibration data on several radiation protection dosimeter models have been collected from a total of six dosimetry calibration laboratories. The collected calibration data predominantly includes calibration at the radionuclide-based radiation qualities (termed as S-Cs and S-Co in the ISO 4037 standard). The calibrations are usually performed in these radiation fields at various dose rate and dose values. This data can be used to assess the dosimeter performance in terms of response non-linearity. Calibrations in the N-series radiation qualities are either not commonly requested by the end-users or not regularly provided by the calibration laboratories. In this work, aggregated calibration data in terms of absolute dosimeter response have been presented. The collected calibration data is presented for S-Cs at the reference dose (rate). Intervariation of dosimeter response within a dosimeter model of up to approximately 10 % can be observed. The cause of this variation can be addressed to the dosimeters being used in different environments, with different frequencies of use, as well as the differences between the data originating from several calibration laboratories. For some dosimeter models the conclusions on the behavior of dosimeter type under reference conditions cannot be clearly deducted due to the low sample size. The response of all the calibrated dosimeters is within ± 40 %. The aggregated calibration data, along with the data on dosimeter performance from the literature, and the state-of-the-art manufacturer specifications will be used to identify the gaps in the data on radiation protection dosimeters. A measurement program is currently ongoing and being conducted under the scope of the JRP, to collect additional data on dosimeter performance including their energy and angular dependence of the response as well as their non-linearity.International conference on radiation applications in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medical Sciences, Engineering and Environmental Sciences : May 26-30, Crete, Greece
Temporal trends in the beryllium-7 activity concentrations in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia: 1991–2022
No full textBeryllium-7, a cosmogenic radionuclide with a half-life of 53.28 days, can be used as a tracer of atmospheric transport as it travels attached to aerosols from the point of its production in the upper layers of the atmosphere to the surface. Beryllium-7 is a gamma emitter, and its activity concentration can be inexpensively measured using standard gamma spectrometry. Hence, it is closely followed in many national radioactivity monitoring programs. In our paper, records from the Ground Air Radioactivity Monitoring (GRAMON) database are used to investigate temporal trends of this radionuclide’s activity concentration. Specifically, the national air radioactivity monitoring programs of Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia, all of which are contributors to the GRAMON database, offer the beryllium-7 time series since 1991. Four sampling sites are chosen: Belgrade (44.88333 °N; 20.583333 °E; 95 m a.s.l.) in Serbia; Zagreb (45.835361 °N; 15.982972 °E; 166 m a.s.l.) in Croatia; Krško, а town in the vicinity of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (45.950414 °N; 15.512261 °E; 204 m a.s.l.), and Ljubljana (46.042356 °N; 14.487494 °E; 292 m a.s.l.) in Slovenia. Between 1991 and 2022, there are 384 mean monthly values of the beryllium-7 activity concentrations per site (with 22 missing values for Belgrade, and 6 for Ljubljana). Temporal trends are calculated as best-fit straight lines using the least-squares method. In addition to looking into the 1991–2022 period (32 years), we also calculate the trends over a shorter period of the latter 12 years, i.e. 2011–2022. The trends over 1991–2022 show an increase in the beryllium-7 activity concentration in all the sites, except Zagreb: 28 %/decade in Belgrade, -13.2 %/decade in Zagreb, 1.7 %/decade in Krško, and 12.4 %/decade in Ljubljana. The trends over 2011–2022 imply that this latter period differs from the overall period of 32 years. The trend in Krško still shows the least value (-2.8 %/decade) but is negative, indicating a slight decrease in the beryllium-7 activity concentration in recent years. In contrast, in Zagreb, the trend, negative over 1991–2022, is now positive (30 %/decade). In Ljubljana, the trends over the two periods are practically the same (12.4 %/decade vs 12.6 %/decade), while in Belgrade, the positive trend is even stronger in recent years (28 %/decade vs 33 %/decade). Our results bring out questions that might be fully answered only in a study that concurrently investigates the temporal trends of the meteorological parameters. One of the questions could focus on the Zagreb, Krško, and Ljubljana sites that are within 100 km, and yet, their trends, both long- and short-term, are notably different.International conference on radiation applications in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medical Sciences, Engineering and Environmental Sciences : May 26-30, Crete, Greece
Topologically Protected Modes in Diamond-like Photonic Ribbons
No full textThe discovery of topologically protected modes has marked a major milestone in photonics, enabling robust light transport immune to disorder, backscattering, and fabrication imperfections. These modes have opened new possibilities in integrated photonic circuits, quantum information processing, and topological lasers. Recently, compact topological edge modes have been demonstrated experimentally in a quasi-one-dimensional ribbon structure with a hexagonal unit cell [1]. These modes combine the robustness of topological edge states with the spatial confinement of compact modes, offering dual-layer protection that makes them highly promising for applications. Here, we investigate the necessary conditions for the emergence of such modes in ribbon lattices composed of diamond-like unit cells. We design two different geometries in which an energy spectrum can be engineered through femtosecond (fs) laser writing of S- and P-type waveguides [2]. The specific ordering of couplings in the lattice induces an effective π-flux, which plays a key role in the band flattening mechanism. By continuously tuning this artificial flux, we theoretically demonstrate transitions between trivial and nontrivial topological phases. At Φ = π, all bands become flat, and compact localized states emerge. Using projector-based topological invariants and the mean chiral displacement method [3], we characterize the bulk-boundary correspondence and confirm the topological nature of the gapped bands and the associated edge modes.X International School and Conference on Photonics : PHOTONICA2023 : book of abstracts; 25 - 29 August 2025 Belgrade, Serbia
Basic supercapacitive properties of graphene/carbon non-woven fabric composite
No full textFlexible and lightweight supercapacitors are optimal power supplies for portable electronic devices. One of their key components is the flexible current collector, which should meet several requirements: high conductivity to minimize internal resistance while remaining light and improved mass specific capacitance. Carbon non-woven fabric (CNW) is a promising flexible current collector due to its exceptional flexibility, mechanical stability, light weight, ease of fabrication and cost efficiency. In this work, graphene, as widely recognized supercapacitive material, was deposited on CNW and the charge storage properties of the resulting composite were investigated. The electrochemical properties of neat CNW and the CNW/graphene composite were investigated in a 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte in a standard three-electrode cell, using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). CV measurements were performed at sweep rates of 200, 100, 50, and 10 mV s⁻¹, while EIS was carried out at open circuit potential over a frequency range of 100 kHz to 10 mHz. The results obtained are characteristic of capacitive materials in which charge storage occurs through the electric double-layer capacitance mechanism. The enhanced capacitive response of the CNW/graphene composite, compared to neat CNW, is attributed to the high electrical conductivity and large specific surface area of graphene, which facilitate more efficient charge accumulation at the electrode/electrolyte interface. These findings demonstrate that CNW is a promising flexible current collector for graphene-based capacitive applications.MME SEE 2025 : 6th Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Congress of South-East Europe; 4-7 June 2025; Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pd-decorated TiO 2 nanoparticles as the photocatalytic material for ciprofloxacin degradation
No full text19th International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment - Environmental Chemistry for Sustainability : Belgrade, Serbia, June 8-12, 2025
High-performance multiparametric luminescent thermometer: Dy3+-doped sodium alumino-borate glass
No full textThis work presents a comprehensive study of high-performance multiparametric luminescent thermometry using Dy3+-doped sodium alumino-borate glass. The glass was synthesized via the melt-quenching method and characterized structurally and optically. Temperature-dependent luminescence properties were investigated, focusing on the luminescence intensity ratio (LIR) of thermally coupled Dy3+ transitions, as well as emission bandwidth and line shift. The Judd-Ofelt model was applied to interpret the thermometric behaviour, showing excellent agreement with experimental results. While the luminescence lifetime remained temperature-invariant, making the material unsuitable for lifetime-based thermometry, steady-state spectral features provided high sensitivity and precision. Multiparametric approaches, including multiple linear regression (MLR) and sensor fusion (SF), were employed to combine different readouts, resulting in enhanced temperature resolution and robustness. The sensor fusion method, in particular, outperformed individual and MLR-based approaches, achieving sub-kelvin temperature resolution at all temperatures. These findings demonstrate that Dy3+-doped sodium alumino-borate glass is a promising candidate for reliable, high-precision luminescent thermometry in demanding environments and the power of multiparametric methods MLR and SF over the individual parameters
Evaluation of genotoxic potential of ethyl methanesulfonate in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in silico and in vitro
No full textIt was observed that ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) shows DNA alkylating capabilities. The aim of this study was to validate the in silico prediction of EMS genotoxicity obtained by the VEGA-QSAR platform with the micronuclei frequency and proliferation potential from in vitro testing on human PHA-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Mitogen- stimulated PBMCs were a model system for EMS genotoxicity testing in cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay. The observed in vitro results had the highest agreements with both in silico IRFMN-VERMEER 1.0.1 and IRFMN 1.0.2 prediction models.ICCBIKG 2025 : 3rd International Conference on Chemo and Bioinformatics, September 25-26, 2025; Kragujevac, Serbia